Directed by Paul Wendkos
Written by Gabrielle Upton
IMDB

Francie Lawrence is an underdeveloped 17 year old girl on summer vacation.  Her friends ditch her to hook up with boys.  She decides to take up surfing and falls for one of the boys.  They nickname her "Gidget," which is a mixture of "girl" and "midget."
I enjoy the TV show "Gidget," starring Sally Field, much more than I enjoyed this movie.  I would guess that '59 was at the very beginning of the surfer fad.  A lot of the lingo doesn't seem to be there yet.  Several years later, during the TV show, the slang is fast and loose.  Sandra Dee, who is pretty good in this, claims everything is "the ultimate."
An okay movie.  Wouldn't watch again.

6/10